Pakistan thrashed England by 87 runs in Rawalpindi on Tuesday, with all-rounder Arafat Minhas producing a career-best display of bat and ball to sink Harry Brook's tourists in the opening match of England's involvement in the ODI tri-series. Minhas struck a fifty and then ran through the England innings, leaving the visitors bowled out for 215 in pursuit of 303.
Minhas headlines a stunning turnaround
Pakistan had won the toss lost and were asked to bat first, and the hosts saw Pakistan post a total of 302 runs after losing half their side for just 133 runs. A middle-order collapse left the innings in trouble before the lower order rescued it.
Nawaz and Minhas rebuild from trouble
A 79 from Hasan Nawaz and 59 from Arafat Minhas lifted the hosts to what looks a par score on a true batting surface. The finishing trio of Hasan Nawaz, Minhas, and Faheem Ashraf helped Pakistan breach the 300-run mark. England seamer Sonny Baker takes three but England sloppy in field as hosts recover from 81 for 4, with Pakistan eventually closing on 302 for 9 from their 50 overs.
Among the Pakistan top order, batting at No. 3 in the second match at Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium, Babar managed just 34 runs off 44 deliveries before being dismissed by Will Jacks. It continued a frustrating pattern for the former captain, who had a similar pattern in the opening match of the series against Sri Lanka, where he scored 45 before losing his wicket, drawing criticism from supporters online.
England's reply falls apart
England made a solid start in the chase, with Pakistan's Haris Rauf gave them the much-needed breakthrough by dismissing Duckett for 45 runs. Shaheen Shah Afridi introduced left-arm spinner Arafat Minhas in the 19th over, and Minhas struck almost immediately: Banton misjudged an off-break and offered a catch to Shaheen to fall for 57 (120/2), and from there Minhas then struck again by taking out a well-set Banton, triggering an England collapse that saw them lose wickets at regular intervals.
Minhas kept striking through the lower order, including an lbw against Adil Rashid and a run-out to finish the innings. They bowl England out with more than 11 overs to spare and win by 87 runs, all because of Arafat Minhas who becomes only the third male cricketer from Pakistan to score a fifty and take a five-fer in an ODI. His final figures of six wickets for 40 runs sealed a man-of-the-match display that few saw coming at the halfway stage.
Hussain: Pakistan's fight with bat and ball
Reflecting on the turnaround, Sky Sports pundit Nasser Hussain pointed to the resilience shown twice in the innings. As he put it, «A bit of credit to Pakistan, who in both innings fought back», adding that «A bit of fight and a bit of character from Pakistan - with bat and ball.»
Mason Crane still waiting for his recall
Before the match, much of the attention in England had centred on uncapped leg-spinner Mason Crane, included in the squad for what would be his previous England appearance in the 2018 fifth Men's Ashes Test in Sydney, with two IT20 appearances in 2017 representing his only prior international exposure. Selectors had explained the call-up by noting that Crane has been performing consistently for Glamorgan across both formats during the summer, with selectors calling him an experienced, high-class leg-spinner who deserved another opportunity at international level. For this match, however, the headline act for England selection was elsewhere, as England bowled, with Rashid and Curran coming into the side while Pakistan stayed unchanged, meaning Crane remained on the sidelines without his first ODI cap.
What comes next
The result means Pakistan have now won both of their completed fixtures in the triangular series, having already beaten Sri Lanka earlier in the tournament, while this defeat opened England's own campaign in the competition. The official points table for the fixture read simply Pakistan 2, England 0, reflecting the margin of victory on the night.
England do not have long to regroup. According to the tour schedule, England next face Sri Lanka on Thursday, live from 8.30am on Sky Sports Cricket (first ball 9am), giving Brook's side a quick chance to get their own tri-series off the mark before a return fixture against Pakistan later in the trip. For wider context on the touring squad and the England cricket team, the tri-series in Pakistan is being used by all three nations as preparation for the next 50-over World Cup, with top-order batters such as Tom Banton under scrutiny after his century against Sri Lanka in England's last completed ODI series, detailed in our report on Tom Banton's maiden ODI century. Pakistan, meanwhile, will hope Minhas can sustain his new-found form as they push for a clean sweep of the group stage in Rawalpindi and beyond.